#penance (athanasius)

[xavalav]

hi tungle i made the mistake of getting obsessed w my own dnd character. now you gotta see him too

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Paul the Hermit 227-342 Feast day: January 15 Patronage: basket weavers, clothing industry, hermits, weavers

Saint Paul the Hermit, also called Paul of Thebes, a well educated Egyptian, was the first Christian hermit, embracing the life of solitude and penance. He fled to the desert to circumvent the Christian persecution of Decius and from plans of his brother to report him to authorities to gain control of his property. Paul lived as a vegetarian, using the leaves of a Palm tree for clothing. It’s said that a raven supplied him with bread. St. Anthony of Egypt was good friends with him and buried him, wrapped in a cloak given by St. Athanasius. St. Jerome wrote his biography.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (January 15)

On January 15, the Catholic Church remembers Saint Paul of Thebes, whose life of solitude and penance gave inspiration to the monastic movement during its early years.

Surviving in the Egyptian desert on a small amount of daily food, St. Paul the Hermit lived in close communion with God.

Before the end of his life at age 113, he met with St. Anthony the Great, who led an early community of monks elsewhere in the Egyptian desert.

Born in approximately 230, the future hermit Paul received a solid religious and secular education, but lost his parents at age 15.

During the year 250, the Roman Emperor Decius carried out a notorious persecution of the Church, executing clergy, and forcing laypersons to prove their loyalty by worshiping idols.

The state used torture, as well as the threat of death, to coerce believers into making pagan sacrifices.

Paul went into hiding during the Decian persecution but became aware of a family member's plan to betray him to the authorities.

The young man retreated to a remote desert location, where he discovered a large abandoned cave that had once been used as a facility for making counterfeit coins.

He found that he could survive on water from a spring. A raven brought him half a loaf of bread daily.

Forced into the wilderness by circumstance, Paul found he loved the life of prayer and simplicity that it made possible.

Thus, he never returned to the outside world, even though he lived well into the era of the Church's legalization and acceptance by the Roman Empire.

Later on, his way of life inspired Catholics who sought a deeper relationship with God through spiritual discipline and isolation from the outside world.

One of these faithful was Anthony of Egypt, born in the vicinity of Cairo around 251, who also lived to an old age after deciding during his youth to live in the desert out of devotion to God.

Paul of Thebes is known to posterity because Anthony, around the year 342, was told in a dream about the older hermit's existence and went to find him.

A similar knowledge about Anthony had been mysteriously given to the earlier hermit.

Thus, when he appeared at Paul's cave, they greeted each other by name, though they had never met.

Out of contact with the Roman Empire for almost a century, Paul asked about its condition and whether paganism was still practiced.

He told Anthony how, for the last 60 years, a bird had brought him a ration of bread each day – a mode of subsistence also granted to the Old Testament prophet Elijah.

After 113 years, most of them spent in solitary devotion, Paul understood that he was nearing the end of his earthly life.

He asked Anthony to return to his own hermitage and bring back a cloak that had been given to the younger monk by the bishop St. Athanasius.

That heroically orthodox bishop had not yet been born when Paul first fled to the desert, and Anthony had never mentioned him or the cloak in question.

Amazed, Anthony paid reverence to Paul and set out to fulfill his request.

During the return trip, Anthony was shown a vision of St. Paul of Thebes' soul, glorified and ascending toward Heaven.

On returning to the first hermit's cave, he venerated the body of its inhabitant, wrapped him in Athanasius' cloak and carried him outdoors.

Saint Jerome, in his “Life of St. Paul the First Hermit,” attests that two lions arrived, demonstrated their reverence, and dug a grave for the saint.

Having given him Athanasius' cloak, St. Anthony took back to his hermitage the garment which St. Paul of Thebes had woven for himself from palm leaves.

Anthony passed on the account of his journey and the saint's life to his own growing group of monastic disciples.

It was written down by St. Jerome around the year 375 – approximately 33 years after the death of the first hermit.

Venerated on the same day by Roman Catholics, Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians, St. Paul of Thebes is also the namesake of a Catholic monastic order – the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit – founded in Hungary during the 13th century and still in operation.

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for 9th Sunday after Pentecost (Dominican rite)

1 Cor 10:6-13; Luke 19:41-47

Earlier this week, I went to Westminster Cathedral to make my Confession and, in these current difficult circumstances, one queues up to enter the church, and then stands in a queue near the front door in order to make one’s confession, standing up, to a priest in the Baptistery area. As I stood there in line at the back of the church, I looked up at one of the Stations of the Cross carved the the Dominican tertiary, Eric Gill; one that I had not quite noticed before. It was the 8th Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem. And there, carved in Latin, were the words of Our Lord to those women, as recounted in Luke 23:28f: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!’”

I had not noticed this before but the Latin text drew my attention to another sentence from the same Gospel of St Luke (11:27), in which an anonymous woman says to Our Lord: “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!” True blessedness, therefore, in accordance with God’s wisdom and design, is for an individual and for a society to say “Yes” to God, and so to cherish new life, to nurture and educate children so that they, in turn, will have eternal life through friendship with God. Hence, Our Blessed Mother is acknowledged to be the new Eve, the true Mother of all the Living, that is to say, the Mother of all the Baptised who are thus raised to new life by God’s grace. To be numbered among the Baptised, and thus to be called, at least potentially, God’s Saints, is to say “Yes” to God, “yes” to his wisdom, his teaching, his ways which lead to joy and eternal life.  

In contrast to this, the Lord prophesied to the women of Jerusalem that a time will come when people will overturn the wisdom of God, and whose word, therefore is “No”. Like Satan who said, “Non serviam” (I will not serve), so there will come a time when many will choose not to serve God, nor the wisdom of his created order, nor even the natural law. There will come a time, Our Lord warns, when people shall praise willed childlessness: when motherhood and even being female is deliberately avoided or denied; when the fertile are chemically or mechanically rendered barren; and indeed, when even new life in the womb is forcibly terminated. In this culture of death, as Pope St John Paul II called it, one tragically hears it said – albeit with less finesse – “Happy are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!”

The mother of this culture of death is one whom certain Mexicans venerate as Sancta Muerte, ‘Holy Death’, who is an unholy diabolical perversion of Our Lady. For here is one who leads, not to holy and everlasting life in God as Mary does, but to sin and its results which are death and endless misery. For the Devil has already lost the final battle, he is already judged and condemned, and he is doomed to eternal misery in hell. So, in the time given to him, he strives to seduce as many people as possible to join him in his eternal rebellion against God.

Hence in today’s epistle, St Paul reminds us that immorality and idolatry and rebellion against God and his wisdom will only lead to death and destruction. “Therefore, my beloved, shun the worship of idols”, says St Paul (1 Cor 10:14) An idol is any idea, or thought, or person, or created thing, even good things, which is set up ultimately to replace God. Beware of ideologies, political positions, mystic revelations, and so on, therefore, which threaten to supplant the Scriptures and the teachings of Christ and his Holy Church, which become our rule of life.

Instead, before all else, be rooted in the Word of God, and have a deep familiarity with Scripture, just as the Fathers of the Church, and the Saints do. For as St Athanasius says: “The holy and inspired Scriptures are sufficient of themselves for the preaching of the truth.” No other revelations, therefore, are needed. Indeed, as St Jerome says: “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”, and if we do not know Christ, then we cannot share in his life. (cf Jn 17:3) Our Lady, therefore, shows us the way to eternal life, to friendship with God, for she is always found pondering the Word of God in her heart; often, in sacred art, she is shown reading the Scriptures when St Gabriel comes to her. So, it is through her deep familiarity and knowledge of God’s Word that, at the Annunciation, she can so readily give her graced-response of “Yes” to God’s Word. Thus, the Word became flesh and dwelt within her blessed womb. Thus she is the Blessed Mother of all who truly live, and she desires to lead us to life.

But barren is the age and barren are the peoples and societies who do not know God; who say “No” to Christ’s teachings; who are full of verbiage and opinions and talk but do not listen to God’s Word. And this barrenness wounds the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For God desires for us, not barrenness and death, but blessedness and life.

Hence, in today’s Gospel, the Lord again prophesies a time of death and destruction because Jerusalem, the Holy City, “did not know the time of [its] visitation”. And he then does what he says we shall do in our time: Jesus weeps for the city. Obviously, the Lord’s prophecy refers principally to the historic fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 AD. However, the city of Jerusalem is also a metaphor for God’s beloved people – it is thus also a symbol of the Baptised, of the Church, and also, of the world. As such, the Lord weeps over the desolation that sin and rebellion does to our souls, to us individually, and also to us as a culture and a society. The Lord of Life weeps to see the culture of death in our own time; he calls on the women of Jerusalem to weep for the women of our time who are often victims of this sinful age; and so he calls on us today in the words of the Sacred Liturgy, to turn from sin and to ask for that which pleases God. (cf Collect)

It pleases God that we should love one another; this is the Lord’s main commandment to us. So, in charity, let us weep and do penance for the salvation of our contemporaries. Let us love and dare to befriend those who are misled by the lies of our time, those who genuinely do not know better. This is the challenge of our times, if we truly wish to evangelise our culture: we’re called to love genuinely and compassionately. As Fr Vincent McNabb OP said: “The world is waiting for those who love it… If you don’t love people don’t preach to them – preach to yourself!” Hence our holy father St Dominic was often heard at night doing penance and weeping as he cried out: “Lord, what will become of sinners?” And Our Lady of the Rosary appeared to the children of Fatima asking them if they would do penance to save sinners.

In our own time, as we see the destruction wrought by the culture of death, the Gospel calls us to respond with charity, even as Christ responded with perfect love and compassion when he hung on the Cross. The same Gospel of St Luke records that the Lord said: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. (Luke 23:34) And so we Christians today, in a world that is ignorant of God and who know not the deadly effects of what they do, we must weep, and fast, and do penance, and pray for the salvation of all. In the words of today’s Entrance chant: “Save me, O God, by Thy Name, and deliver me in Thy strength”. Or as Our Lady taught Sr Lucia of Fatima to pray: “Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”

[septembersung]

Nevertheless, the double Confiteor is far from useless. It strongly brings out the dialogical nature of liturgical worship, where the celebrant acts as a mediator for the people, and where each member of the body is praying for the other. The doubling formalizes the mediation as well as the mutual assistance. It reinforces the humility needed in the celebrant, who confesses his sins alone coram omnibus, and also exhibits the dignity of the servant who says to the master: “May almighty God have mercy on thee, and having forgiven thy sins, lead thee to eternal life.” It reflects the truth of cosmic and ecclesiastical hierarchy and pushes against one of the dominant errors of our time, that of democratic egalitarianism, which lumps everyone together into an undifferentiated mass (or Mass). Bishop Athanasius Schneider once told of a Low Mass he was offering in Africa at a large traditional Catholic school for girls. When he had confessed his sins, he heard all these little girls say to him, in perfect Latin, “Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam aeternam.” He was overcome with feelings of humility, littleness, and joy. This experience of the priest confessing his own sins in front of the people—or, for that matter, the bishop, or the pope—is something we could use a great deal more of in the Church today, together (of course) with the confession of the people. And all of this in the humbling and strengthening presence of the saints invoked by name, twice: “Blessed Mary ever-virgin, St. Michael the Archangel, St. John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints” — not (as we were just saying) lumped together in an undifferentiated mass of “all the angels and saints,” mentioned only once, for efficiency’s sake. There are no shortcuts in penance and forgiveness.

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

CONFITEOR Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Ioanni Baptistae, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Ioannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, et omnes Sanctos, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. Amen.

I CONFESS to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Amen.

Original NO: I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

2011 Corrected NO: I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have  failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

[anastpaul]

Saint of the Day – 26 November – St Peter of Alexandria (Died 311) Martyr “The Seal of the Martyrs” Bishop of Alexandria.   Tradition attests that the Egyptian Bishop, St Peter, was the last believer to suffer death at the hands of Roman imperial authorities for his faith in Christ.   For this reason, St. Peter of Alexandria is known as the “Seal of the Martyrs.”   He is said to have undertaken severe penances for the sake of the suffering Church during his lifetime and written letters of encouragement to those in prison, before going to his death at the close of the “era of the martyrs.”

Both the date of Peter’s birth and of his ordination as a priest, are unknown.   It is clear, however, that he was chosen to lead Egypt’s main Catholic community in the year 300 after the death of Saint Theonas of Alexandria.   He may have previously been in charge of Alexandria’s well-known catechetical school, an important centre of religious instruction in the early Church.   Peter’s own theological writings were cited in a later fifth-century dispute over Christ’s divinity and humanity.

In 302, the Emperor Diocletian and his subordinate Maximian attempted to wipe out the Church in the territories of the Roman Empire.   They used their authority to destroy Church properties, imprison and torture believers and eventually kill those who refused to take part in pagan ceremonies.   As the Bishop of Alexandria, Peter offered spiritual support to those who faced these penalties, encouraging them to hold to their faith without compromise.

One acute problem for the Church during this period was the situation of the “lapsed.” These were Catholics who had violated their faith by participating in pagan rites under coercion but who later repented and sought to be reconciled to the Church.   Peter issued canonical directions for addressing their various situations and these guidelines became an important part of the Eastern Christian tradition for centuries afterwards.

Around the year 306, Peter led a council that deposed Bishop Meletius of Lycopolis, a member of the Catholic hierarchy who had allegedly offered sacrifice to a pagan idol. Peter left his diocese for reasons of safety during some portions of the persecution, giving Meletius an opening to set himself up as his rival and lead a schismatic church in the area.

The “Meletian schism” would continue to trouble the Church for years after the death of Alexandria’s legitimate bishop. Saint Athanasius, who led the Alexandrian Church during a later period in the fourth century, claimed that Meletius personally betrayed Peter of Alexandria to the state authorities during the Diocletian persecution.

Although Diocletian himself chose to resign his rule in in 305, persecution continued under Maximinus Daia, who assumed leadership of the Roman Empire’s eastern half in 310.   The early Church historian Eusebius attests that Maximinus, during an imperial visit to Alexandria, unexpectedly ordered its bishop to be seized and killed without imprisonment or trial in 311.   Three priests – Faustus, Dio, and Ammonius – were reportedly beheaded along with him.

St Peter of Alexandria’s entry in the “History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria” (a volume first compiled by a Coptic Orthodox bishop in the 10th century) concludes with a description of the aftermath of his death –

“And the city was in confusion, and was greatly disturbed, when the people beheld this martyr of the Lord Christ.   Then the chief men of the city came and wrapped his body in the leathern mat on which he used to sleep and they took him to the church … And, when the liturgy had been performed, they buried him with the fathers.   May his prayers be with us and all those that are baptised!”

(via Saint of the Day - 26 November - St Peter of Alexandria (Died 311) Martyr "The Seal of the Martyrs")

[papalwords]

The eminent way to protect and nourish an unsullied and perfect chastity, as proven by experience time and again throughout the course of centuries, is solid and fervent devotion to the Virgin Mother of God. In a certain way all other helps are contained in this devotion; there is no doubt that whoever is sincerely and earnestly animated by this devotion is salutarily inspired to constant vigilance, to continual prayer, to receive the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Therefore in a paternal way We exhort all priests, religious men and women, to entrust themselves to the special protection of the holy Mother of God who is the Virgin of virgins and the "teacher of virginity," as Ambrose says, and the most powerful Mother of those in particular who have vowed and consecrated themselves to the service of God.   That virginity owes its origin to Mary is the testimony of Athanasius, and Augustine clearly teaches that "The dignity of virginity began with the Mother of the Lord." Pursuing the ideas of Athanasius, Ambrose holds up the life of the Virgin Mary as the model of virgins. "Imitate her, my daughters. . . ! Let Mary's life be for you like the portrayal of virginity, for from her, as though from a mirror, is reflected the beauty of chastity and the ideal of virtue. See in her the pattern of your life, for in her, as though in a model, manifest teachings of goodness show what you should correct, what you should copy and what preserve. . .She is the image of virginity. For such was Mary that her life alone suffices for the instruction of all. . .Therefore let holy Mary guide your way of life."

Pope Pius XII, Sacra Virginitas (Encyclical, 1954)

[pamphletstoinspire]

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE, FROM THE LATIN VULGATE BIBLE

Chapter 5 - Part 2

18 And behold, men brought in a bed a man who had the palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

Ver. 18. No explanation given.

19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the roof, and let him down through the tiles, with his bed, into the midst, before Jesus.

Ver. 19. Let us learn from this example, how diligent we should be in procuring spiritual health, both for ourselves and for our friends. (Haydock)

20 And when he saw their faith, he said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

Ver. 20. Great is the Lord, who pardons men on account of the merits of others. If you are diffident of the pardon of your grievous sins, have recourse to the Church. She will pray for you; and the Almighty, at her intercession, will grant you that pardon he might have denied to your prayers. (St. Ambrose, lib. v. in Luc.)

21 And the Scribes and the Pharisees began to think, saying: Who is this who speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

Ver. 21. How great is the madness of this unbelieving people, who confessing that God alone can forgive sins, will not believe God when he grants pardon. (St. Ambrose) --- They indeed spoke the truth, for none can forgive sins but God only, who forgives our offences by the ministry of others, to whom he has committed this power, both in baptism and penance. But Christ, by forgiving sins as God, i.e. with his own power, clearly proves to all his divinity. (Ven. Bede)

22 And when Jesus knew their thoughts, answering, he said to them: What is it you think in your hearts?

Ver. 22. No explanation given.

23 Which is it easier to say: Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say: Arise, and walk?

Ver. 23. No explanation given.

24 But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy) I say to thee: Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.

Ver. 24. The Son of man ... on earth. By which act, says St. Cyril, it is clear that the Son of man hath power on earth to remit sins; which he said both for himself and us. For he, as God-man, the Lord of the law, forgiveth sins; and we also have obtained by him that wonderful grace when he said to his disciples: Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them. (John xx. 23.) And how should he not be able to remit sins, who gave others the power to do the same? (Bristow)

25 And immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay: and he went away into his own house, glorifying God.

Ver. 25. No explanation given.

26 And all were astonished, and they glorified God. And they were filled with fear, saying: We have seen wonderful things to-day.

Ver. 26. At the sight of the exertion of divine power, the Jews would rather fear than believe; for had they believed they would never have feared, but rather loved; for perfect love excludes fear. (St. Ambrose)

27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the custom-house, and he said to him: Follow me.

Ver. 27. No explanation given.

28 And leaving all things, he rose up, and followed him.

Ver. 28. The profane Julian charged St. Matthew with levity, in leaving all and following a stranger at one word. But hereby is seen the marvellous efficacy of Christ's word and internal working, which in a moment can alter the heart of man, and cause him to despise what before was most near and dear to him. And this was done not only whilst Christ was living on earth, but daily in his Church. Thus St. Anthony, St. Francis, and others, hearing this word in the Church, forsook all and followed Jesus. (St. Jerome, in Matt. ix.; St. Athanasius, in vita. St. Anthony; St. Augustine, Confess. lib. viii. chap. 11.; St. Bonaventure, in vit. St. Francis.)

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans, and of others, that were at table with them.

Ver. 29. And Levi made him a great feast, to testify his gratitude to Jesus for the favour he had done him. It appears that both St. Mark and St. Luke affect, through consideration for St. Matthew, to designate him here by his less known name of Levi; whereas he designates himself, through humility, in this same circumstance, by his more known appellation of Matthew. (See Matthew ix. 9.) (Bible de Vence)

30 But the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying to his disciples: Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

Ver. 30. No explanation given.

31 And Jesus answering, said to them: They who are in health need not the physician: but they that are sick.

Ver. 31. Jesus Christ gives them here to understand, that they were of the number of those who languished under a severe indisposition, and that he was come to act as their Physician. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xxxi. in Matt.)

32 I came not to call the just, but sinners, to penance.

Ver. 32. No explanation given.

33 And they said to him: *Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees in like manner: but thine eat and drink?

Ver. 33. St. Matthew says, it was St. John the Baptist's disciples themselves that objected this to Christ. Most probably both they and the Pharisees endeavoured all they could to press this objection. (St. Augustine, de cons. Evang. lib. ii. chap. 27) --- Why do you not fast, as is customary with all that wish to regulate their lives according to the law? The reason why the saints fasted was, that they might, by afflicting their bodies, subdue their passions. Jesus Christ, therefore, had no need of fasting, being God, and of course free from every, the least, disorderly motion of concupiscence. Neither did his attendants stand in need of fasting, for being enriched with his grace, they were strengthened in virtue, without the help of fasting. When, therefore, Christ fasted forty days, he fasted to set an example to carnal men. (St. Cyril) --- As long as the Spouse is with us, we are in joy, we cannot fast, we cannot mourn. But when he has been driven away by sin, then we must both fast and weep. (Ven. Bede)

34 And he said to them: Can you make the children of the bridegroom fast, whilst the bridegroom is with them?

Ver. 34. No explanation given.

35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; then shall they fast in those days.

Ver. 35. No explanation given.

36 And he spoke also a similitude to them: That no man putteth a piece from a new garment upon an old garment: otherwise he both rendeth the new, and the piece taken from the new agreeth not with the old.

Ver. 36. No explanation given.

37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: otherwise the new wine will burst the bottles, and it will be spilled, and the bottles will be lost.

Ver. 37. No explanation given.

38 But new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Ver. 38. No explanation given.

39 And no man drinking old, hath presently a mind to new: for he saith, The old is better.

Ver. 39. No explanation given.

[iprayunceasingly-blog]

St. Peter of Alexandria

New Post has been published on https://pray-unceasingly.com/catholic-living/saint-of-the-day/st-peter-of-alexandria/

St. Peter of Alexandria

Local commemorations of the fourth-century martyr Saint Peter of Alexandria will take place on Nov. 25 and 26. Although his feast day in the Western tradition (on the latter date) is no longer a part of the Roman Catholic Church’s universal calendar, he remains especially beloved among Catholic and Orthodox Christians of the Egyptian Coptic tradition. Tradition attests that the Egyptian bishop was the last believer to suffer death at the hands of Roman imperial authorities for his faith in Christ. For this reason, St. Peter of Alexandria is known as the “Seal of the Martyrs.â€� He is said to have undertaken severe penances for the sake of the suffering Church during his lifetime, and written letters of encouragement to those in prison, before going to his death at the close of the “era of the martyrs.â€� Both the date of Peter’s birth, and of his ordination as a priest, are unknown. It is clear, however, that he was chosen to lead Egypt’s main Catholic community in the year 300 after the death of Saint Theonas of Alexandria. He may have previously been in charge of Alexandria’s well-known catechetical school, an important center of religious instruction in the early Church. Peter’s own theological writings were cited in a later fifth-century dispute over Christ’s divinity and humanity. In 302, the Emperor Diocletian and his subordinate Maximian attempted to wipe out the Church in the territories of the Roman Empire. They used their authority to destroy Church properties, imprison and torture believers, and eventually kill those who refused to take part in pagan ceremonies. As the Bishop of Alexandria, Peter offered spiritual support to those who faced these penalties, encouraging them to hold to their faith without compromise.  One acute problem for the Church during this period was the situation of the “lapsed.â€� These were Catholics who had violated their faith by participating in pagan rites under coercion, but who later repented and sought to be reconciled to the Church. Peter issued canonical directions for addressing their various situations, and these guidelines became an important part of the Eastern Christian tradition for centuries afterward. Around the year 306, Peter led a council that deposed Bishop Meletius of Lycopolis, a member of the Catholic hierarchy who had allegedly offered sacrifice to a pagan idol. Peter left his diocese for reasons of safety during some portions of the persecution, giving Meletius an opening to set himself up as his rival and lead a schismatic church in the area. The “Meletian schismâ€� would continue to trouble the Church for years after the death of Alexandria’s legitimate bishop. Saint Athanasius, who led the Alexandrian Church during a later period in the fourth century, claimed that Meletius personally betrayed Peter of Alexandria to the state authorities during the Diocletian persecution. Although Diocletian himself chose to resign his rule in in 305, persecution continued under Maximinus Daia, who assumed leadership of the Roman Empire’s eastern half in 310. The early Church historian Eusebius attests that Maximinus, during an imperial visit to Alexandria, unexpectedly ordered its bishop to be seized and killed without imprisonment or trial in 311. Three priests – Faustus, Dio, and Ammonius – were reportedly beheaded along with him. St. Peter of Alexandria’s entry in the “History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandriaâ€� (a volume first compiled by a Coptic Orthodox bishop in the 10th century) concludes with a description of the aftermath of his death.  “And the city was in confusion, and was greatly disturbed, when the people beheld this martyr of the Lord Christ. Then the chief men of the city came, and wrapped his body in the leathern mat on which he used to sleep; and they took him to the church … And, when the liturgy had been performed, they buried him with the fathers. May his prayers be with us and all those that are baptized!â€� CNA – Saint of the Day

[xavalav]

hiii i'd like to know more about your little freak. were there any inspirations that helped you make athanasius? also how did he become a divine soul sorcerer?

YIPPEE!!! haiiii raven haiiiiiii

honestly my main inspiration for him was the flavor text for tieflings that mentioned not all tieflings are born tieflings and that some are turned as punishment, and the thought of horns as a mock halo. i thought it would be really fun to have that dichotomy between divine soul sorcerers having connections to the gods themselves and then abyssal tieflings being demonic in nature. i really love characters who are sort of walking contradictions to themselves- it’s a lot of fun :3

and athanasius was born a divine soul! his father’s bloodline are all divine soul sorcerers, marked with golden freckles and a gold shine to their eyes. but after the death of the gods their powers waned and while members of the scyre family usually develop their powers by age 7, athanasius developed no such powers despite having all the signs that he should be developing powers. though of course he has his powers now! and with no sign of weakening. he has the order of life to thank for that :)

[xavalav]

art dump of Himb and various characters from his backstory :33

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Paul the Hermit 227-342 Feast day: January 15 Patronage: basket weavers, clothing industry, hermits, weavers

Saint Paul the Hermit, also called Paul of Thebes, a well educated Egyptian, was the first Christian hermit, embracing the life of solitude and penance. He fled to the desert to circumvent the Christian persecution of Decius and from plans of his brother to report him to authorities to gain control of his property. Paul lived as a vegetarian, using the leaves of a Palm tree for clothing. It’s said that a raven supplied him with bread. St. Anthony of Egypt was good friends with him and buried him, wrapped in a cloak given by St. Athanasius. St. Jerome wrote his biography.

{website}

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (January 15)

On January 15, the Catholic Church remembers Saint Paul of Thebes, whose life of solitude and penance gave inspiration to the monastic movement during its early years.

Surviving in the Egyptian desert on a small amount of daily food, St. Paul the Hermit lived in close communion with God.

Before the end of his life at age 113, he met with St. Anthony the Great, who led an early community of monks elsewhere in the Egyptian desert.

Born in approximately 230, the future hermit Paul received a solid religious and secular education, but lost his parents at age 15.

During the year 250, the Roman Emperor Decius carried out a notorious persecution of the Church, executing clergy and forcing laypersons to prove their loyalty by worshiping idols.

The state used torture, as well as the threat of death, to coerce believers into making pagan sacrifices.

Paul went into hiding during the Decian persecution but became aware of a family member's plan to betray him to the authorities.

The young man retreated to a remote desert location, where he discovered a large abandoned cave that had once been used as a facility for making counterfeit coins.

He found that he could survive on water from a spring. A raven brought him half a loaf of bread daily.

Forced into the wilderness by circumstance, Paul found he loved the life of prayer and simplicity that it made possible.

Thus, he never returned to the outside world, even though he lived well into the era of the Church's legalization and acceptance by the Roman Empire.

Later on, his way of life inspired Catholics who sought a deeper relationship with God through spiritual discipline and isolation from the outside world.

One of these faithful was Anthony of Egypt, born in the vicinity of Cairo around 251, who also lived to an old age after deciding during his youth to live in the desert out of devotion to God.

Paul of Thebes was known to posterity because Anthony, around the year 342, was told in a dream about the older hermit's existence and went to find him.

A similar knowledge about Anthony had been mysteriously given to the earlier hermit.

Thus, when he appeared at Paul's cave, they greeted each other by name, though they had never met.

Out of contact with the Roman Empire for almost a century, Paul asked about its condition and whether paganism was still practiced.

He told Anthony how, for the last 60 years, a bird had brought him a ration of bread each day – a mode of subsistence also granted to the Old Testament prophet Elijah.

After 113 years, most of them spent in solitary devotion, Paul understood that he was nearing the end of his earthly life.

He asked Anthony to return to his own hermitage and bring back a cloak that had been given to the younger monk by the bishop St. Athanasius.

That heroically orthodox bishop had not yet been born when Paul first fled to the desert, and Anthony had never mentioned him or the cloak in question.

Amazed, Anthony paid reverence to Paul and set out to fulfill his request.

During the return trip, Anthony was shown a vision of St. Paul of Thebes' soul, glorified and ascending toward Heaven.

On returning to the first hermit's cave, he venerated the body of its inhabitant, wrapped him in Athanasius' cloak, and carried him outdoors.

Saint Jerome, in his “Life of St. Paul the First Hermit,” attests that two lions arrived, demonstrated their reverence, and dug a grave for the saint.

Having given him Athanasius' cloak, St. Anthony took back to his hermitage the garment, which St. Paul of Thebes had woven for himself from palm leaves.

Anthony passed on the account of his journey and the saint's life to his own growing group of monastic disciples.

It was written down by St. Jerome around the year 375 – approximately 33 years after the death of the first hermit.

Venerated on the same day by Roman Catholics, Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians, St. Paul of Thebes is also the namesake of a Catholic monastic order – the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit – founded in Hungary during the 13th century and still in operation.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (November 26)

Local commemorations of the fourth-century martyr Saint Peter of Alexandria will take place on November 25 and 26.

Although his feast day in the Western tradition (on the latter date) is no longer a part of the Roman Catholic Church’s universal calendar, he remains especially beloved among Catholic and Orthodox Christians of the Egyptian Coptic tradition.

Tradition attests that the Egyptian bishop was the last believer to suffer death at the hands of Roman imperial authorities for his faith in Christ.

For this reason, St. Peter of Alexandria is known as the “Seal of the Martyrs.”

He is said to have undertaken severe penances for the sake of the suffering Church during his lifetime and written letters of encouragement to those in prison, before going to his death at the close of the “era of the martyrs.”

Both the date of Peter’s birth and of his ordination as a priest are unknown.

It is clear, however, that he was chosen to lead Egypt’s main Catholic community in the year 300 after the death of Saint Theonas of Alexandria.

He may have previously been in charge of Alexandria’s well-known catechetical school, an important center of religious instruction in the early Church.

Peter’s own theological writings were cited in a later fifth-century dispute over Christ’s divinity and humanity.

In 302, Emperor Diocletian and his subordinate Maximian attempted to wipe out the Church in the territories of the Roman Empire.

They used their authority to destroy Church properties, imprison and torture believers, and eventually kill those who refused to take part in pagan ceremonies.

As the Bishop of Alexandria, Peter offered spiritual support to those who faced these penalties, encouraging them to hold to their faith without compromise. 

One acute problem for the Church during this period was the situation of the “lapsed.”

These were Catholics who had violated their faith by participating in pagan rites under coercion, but who later repented and sought to be reconciled to the Church.

Peter issued canonical directions for addressing their various situations, and these guidelines became an important part of the Eastern Christian tradition for centuries afterward.

Around the year 306, Peter led a council that deposed Bishop Meletius of Lycopolis, a member of the Catholic hierarchy who had allegedly offered sacrifice to a pagan idol.

Peter left his diocese for reasons of safety during some portions of the persecution, giving Meletius an opening to set himself up as his rival and lead a schismatic church in the area.

The “Meletian schism” would continue to trouble the Church for years after the death of Alexandria’s legitimate bishop.

Saint Athanasius, who led the Alexandrian Church during a later period in the fourth century, claimed that Meletius personally betrayed Peter of Alexandria to the state authorities during the Diocletian persecution.

Although Diocletian himself chose to resign his rule in 305, persecution continued under Maximinus Daia, who assumed leadership of the Roman Empire’s eastern half in 310.

The early Church historian Eusebius attests that Maximinus, during an imperial visit to Alexandria, unexpectedly ordered its bishop to be seized and killed without imprisonment or trial in 311.

Three priests – Faustus, Dio, and Ammonius – were reportedly beheaded along with him.

St. Peter of Alexandria’s entry in the “History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria” (a volume first compiled by a Coptic Orthodox bishop in the 10th century) concludes with a description of the aftermath of his death. 

“And the city was in confusion and was greatly disturbed when the people beheld this martyr of the Lord Christ.

Then the chief men of the city came and wrapped his body in the leathern mat on which he used to sleep; and they took him to the church …

And, when the liturgy had been performed, they buried him with the fathers. May his prayers be with us and all those that are baptized!”

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (November 26)

Local commemorations of the fourth-century martyr Saint Peter of Alexandria will take place on November 25 and 26.

Although his feast day in the Western tradition is no longer part of the Roman Catholic Church’s universal calendar, he remains especially beloved among Catholic and Orthodox Christians of the Egyptian Coptic tradition.

Tradition attests that the Egyptian bishop was the last believer to suffer death at the hands of Roman imperial authorities for his faith in Christ.

For this reason, St. Peter of Alexandria is known as the “Seal of the Martyrs.”

He is said to have undertaken severe penances for the sake of the suffering Church during his lifetime and written letters of encouragement to those in prison, before going to his death at the close of the “era of the martyrs.”

Both the date of Peter’s birth and his ordination as a priest are unknown. It is clear, however, that he was chosen to lead Egypt’s main Catholic community in the year 300 after the death of Saint Theonas of Alexandria.

He may have previously been in charge of Alexandria’s well-known catechetical school, an important center of religious instruction in the early Church.

Peter’s own theological writings were cited in a later fifth-century dispute over Christ’s divinity and humanity.

In 302, the Emperor Diocletian and his subordinate Maximian attempted to wipe out the Church in the territories of the Roman Empire.

They used their authority to destroy Church properties, imprison and torture believers, and eventually kill those who refused to take part in pagan ceremonies.

As the Bishop of Alexandria, Peter offered spiritual support to those who faced these penalties, encouraging them to hold to their faith without compromise. 

One acute problem for the Church during this period was the situation of the “lapsed.”

These were Catholics who had violated their faith by participating in pagan rites under coercion, but who later repented and sought to be reconciled to the Church.

Peter issued canonical directions for addressing their various situations, and these guidelines became an important part of the Eastern Christian tradition for centuries afterward.

Around the year 306, Peter led a council that deposed Bishop Meletius of Lycopolis, a member of the Catholic hierarchy who had allegedly offered sacrifice to a pagan idol.

Peter left his diocese for reasons of safety during some portions of the persecution, giving Meletius an opening to set himself up as his rival and lead a schismatic church in the area.

The “Meletian schism” would continue to trouble the Church for years after the death of Alexandria’s legitimate bishop.

Saint Athanasius, who led the Alexandrian Church during a later period in the fourth century, claimed that Meletius personally betrayed Peter of Alexandria to the state authorities during the Diocletian persecution.

Although Diocletian himself chose to resign his rule in in 305, persecution continued under Maximinus Daia, who assumed leadership of the Roman Empire’s eastern half in 310.

The early Church historian Eusebius attests that Maximinus, during an imperial visit to Alexandria, unexpectedly ordered its bishop to be seized and killed without imprisonment or trial in 311.

Three priests – Faustus, Dio and Ammonius – were reportedly beheaded along with him.

Saint Peter of Alexandria’s entry in the “History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria” (a volume first compiled by a Coptic Orthodox bishop in the 10th century) concludes with a description of the aftermath of his death. 

“And the city was in confusion and was greatly disturbed, when the people beheld this martyr of the Lord Christ.

Then the chief men of the city came and wrapped his body in the leathern mat on which he used to sleep; and they took him to the church …

And, when the liturgy had been performed, they buried him with the fathers. May his prayers be with us and all those that are baptized!”

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day Saint Paul the Hermit 227-342 Feast day: January 15 Patronage: basket weavers, clothing industry, hermits, weavers

Saint Paul the Hermit, also called Paul of Thebes, a well educated Egyptian, was the first Christian hermit, embracing the life of solitude and penance. He fled to the desert to circumvent the Christian persecution of Decius and from plans of his brother to report him to authorities to gain control of his property. Paul lived as a vegetarian, using the leaves of a Palm tree for clothing. It’s said that a raven supplied him with bread. St. Anthony of Egypt was good friends with him and buried him, wrapped in a cloak given by St. Athanasius. St. Jerome wrote his biography. {website}